Nov. 17, 2012

Tom Snell of Red Cedar Arborists and Landscapers of Wappingers Falls removes logs from a tree that fell and damaged a house in Pearl River during Superstorm Sandy at a home in Pearl River Nov. 15, 2012. / Peter Carr/The Journal News

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Rockland County’s consumer protection department is handling a spike in unlicensed contractors arriving from out of the area as home improvement companies flock to take advantage of new business in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Terry Grosselfinger, director of Rockland’s Office of Consumer Protection, said his department has seen a “not unexpected” increase in the numbers of unlicensed companies whose workers are removing trees and repairing homes in the storm’s aftermath. In response, the department has issued a higher than normal amount of summonses this week, he said.

Rockland County requires home improvement contractors — tree trimmers, electricians, roofers and others — to hold a license, which is granted for two years and costs $650. Workers without one can face civil penalties of $400 to $1,000 for the first offense, and up to a maximum $3,000 per offense. Criminal penalties, which are rarely imposed, could result in a misdemeanor charge and a $1,000 fee, Grosselfinger said.

“The vast majority of the time, it’s particularly in areas that don’t have local licensing laws we find that they come in not aware,” he said. “Most of them say, ‘Gee, I didn’t know.’”

That may have been the case Thursday when Dutchess County company Red Cedar Arborists and Landscapers sent an unlicensed work crew to a Pearl River home to remove trees. Dutchess County doesn’t require contractors to hold licenses.

A photo of a Red Cedar worker featured on Page One of The Journal News Friday prompted a local contractor, John Wickes of Wickes Arborists in Spring Valley, to tip off the Office of Consumer Protection. He also informed the newspaper.

Grosselfinger said the department Friday contacted Red Cedar, located in Wappingers Falls, and issued it a civil violation. Owner Steve Relyea claimed he wasn’t aware of the license requirement, Grosselfinger said, and the office encouraged him to apply for one.

“We have informed him that if he does perform other work on residential properties he faces additional penalties and fines,” Grosselfinger said.

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Relyea told The Journal News/LoHud.com he expected to pay a penalty of up to $3,000. The Pearl River job was requested by a relative of an employee, he said. “I certainly was not (aware of Rockland’s requirement) because it was the only time I could ever remember working down there other than commercial jobs,” Relyea said. “It was a relative, and we got the call and we went down. You don’t think to check in an emergency … we’re absolutely crazy.”

The company has responded to a huge number of calls from Long Island and elsewhere since the storm, he said. Relyea was aware of Wickes, he said, because Red Cedar employs two people who once worked for Wickes.

“They called us out, and they got us,” he said.

Wickes could not be reached for comment on the matter, but in an earlier interview he complained about unlicensed contractors taking work away from companies like his.

“It’s not inexpensive to do business in Rockland County, so for companies that are outside of the county to just come in and not pay the required license fees, not collect the required sales tax … if they’re not paying attention to that, what else aren’t they doing?” Wickes said.

Grosselfinger said his department must consider homeowners whose property needs attention as well as contractors who already work within the county and follow the rules.

“Given the circumstance that we have out here, we understand there are contractors that are arriving from out of county and out of state,” he said. “Again, we have to enforce the licensing law, but we are dealing with that by trying to expedite the application process and giving them temporary licenses when appropriate so they can continue to work as necessary.”

The Office of Consumer Protection encourages people to report unlicensed contractors. Homeowners also should check licensed contractors’ paperwork to ensure they are licensed in the type of repair work the homeowner seeks, he said.